Romance is for the Birds
by UndergroundDaydreams
Summary: A challenge fic for the Jareth/David Bowie Fangirl Harem. A bicycle, pinecones, the swans, a phone book...and a little romance.


**_Author's Note:_**

_Ok, so this is a silly bit of fluff I wrote tonight for a challenge posted in the Jareth/David Bowie Fangirl Harem group (link in my profile - come join us! :) We're nice people.)_

_The Challenge:_

_Characters: Jareth/Sarah plus any others_  
_Genre: Romance either by itself or in combination with any others_  
_Length: One-shot_  
_Elements to include: a bicycle, pinecones, the swans, and a phonebook_

_I'm actually the one that posted this challenge, and don't know why I choose those particular elements as they proved somewhat challenging to link together, but I suppose that's what a challenge is for. ;)_

_Standard disclaimer applies.  
_

_Enjoy!_

-o0O0o-

_**Romance is for the Birds**_

Sarah laughed as she leaned forward on the handlebars of her bicycle. She loved the swans - so much attitude. She was perfectly content to let them waddle past, smiling back at their no nonsense glares just daring her to try and take the right of way as they made their way across the road to the pond they called home. She would have to remember to bring them a treat the next time she was in the park.

Still smiling, she straightened, raising her foot to the peddle with the intent to continue her leisurely ride to the library, her favorite Saturday afternoon escape, when something small and hard bounced off the top of her head and onto the road.

"Ow." Placing her hand over the tender spot, she glared down at the culprit: a pine cone. Looking up into the branches spreading out over the street, she was suddenly hit with a barrage of small piney missiles before a mass of feathers flew into her chest.

Sarah instinctually wrapped her arms around the flustered bird, trying to calm it. "Wait, wait…shh, little guy." It settled down at her soothing tone, burrowing further into her secure hold. Searching the treetop, she spotted the source of the bird's distress chittering angrily on the branch above them.

"Ah, I see." She looked back down at the owl in her arms. "You really shouldn't mess with the squirrels, Mr. Owl." Shifting the bird carefully, she looked it over. "You're a right mess, you know." Its feathers were bent and broken, and stained with blood in spots. She put a hand over its head, tucking it against her chest. It was so strange for an owl to be out in the daylight, and to let her hold it like this. Perhaps it was sick.

Wheeling her bike with one hand, she laid it down carefully on the sidewalk before stepping into the free-standing phone booth nestled beneath the branches of the large pine tree. They were a part of a downtown restoration project that the city had implemented a couple of years ago to add a little New England charm and hopefully boost tourism revenue. She rather liked them, appealing to her sense of aesthetic and imagined storybook world.

Sliding the door closed behind her, she set the owl on the small triangular ledge set in the far corner of the booth. "Now, you just wait there a second, and I'm going to call someone who can help you, ok?"

Turning her back to the injured owl, she pulled opened the phone book chained to the pay phone, flipping through the pages for the "V" section…except that it didn't seem to be there. A small frown creased her forehead. The entire yellow pages seemed to fall under the letter "G". "What in the world…?"

After a flipping a few more pages, she opened to one at random, laying the book out flat. There was only one entry, repeated over and over again. Smoothing the page, she read:

_Goblin King_

_Say your right words, Sarah. You know you want to._

Her eyes ballooned in disbelief and she whirled around to find, not a bedraggled barn owl, but his Highness himself. "You!"

"Yes." Jareth smirked at her. "Me."

"What are you doing here?" She narrowed her eyes. "Have you been spying on me?"

"Spying is a harsh word." He nodded towards the book. "You haven't forgotten the words, have you, Sarah?"

"You know, I don't need a phone book to call 911."

He laughed. "You think a police officer will come to your rescue?"

Sarah paled, taking a step back, only to jump slightly as she bumped into the wall, the phone rattling in its holder. Jareth frowned. "Are you frightened of me?"

She steeled herself, standing up straighter as she looked him in the eye. He had no power over her. "No. I…what do you want?"

"I'm not here to harm you. Only to…." He brushed a gloved hand through his hair, wincing slightly.

"You're bleeding." She reached out a hand to touch his face, tilting his chin up slightly so that the sunlight streaming through the glass fell on the long gash across his cheekbone.

He laid his hand over hers, looking down into her eyes. "So much concern for your villain?"

Sarah allowed him to hold her hand against his face as she returned his gaze. "It's just…I just…you're hurt. It's disconcerting to see that the almighty Goblin King can bleed."

"Even almighty, incredibly handsome Goblin Kings can bleed."

A smile tugged at her lips. "I see that your ego wasn't bruised."

He laughed, the sound curving into a teasing smile. "There is something you can do…to make it all better."

"Oh?" The word came out as a whispered breath as he leaned in closer, the hand holding hers against his skin reaching out to cup her upturned face.

"Yes, just a little thing…" His words trailed off as his lips ghosted over hers.

Sarah felt the breath leave her at the soft caress, her knees turning weak as she sunk into him. He increased the pressure of the kiss when he felt her surrender, letting her taste his barely constrained need as he slid his free arm slid around her waist, holding her against him. His lips moved against hers, softly seductive, taking what she offered and demanding more. Her hand slid up in to his hair, pulling him closer and he growled low in his throat, before he pulled slightly away.

"Be careful what you wish for, Sarah; I'm no gentleman." He gazed down at her and winked with a predatory smile. "Owls are very opportunistic."

She stared up at him in wonder, her brain too muddled to make sense of what had just happened. He slid his fingers across her lips, tracing their swollen outline. "Thank you."

She swallowed, stepping back slightly to support her own weight. "Ah…you're welcome?"

He smiled at the question in her voice, softly asking one of his own, "I'll be seeing you again?"

She nodded, a small smile peeking through her hesitation. He nodded in return, before fading, leaving her alone in the booth.

Sarah watched him arc gracefully across the sky, her hand smoothing over her lips. Smiling, she turned to close the phone book and laughed when she saw the page left open: Pest Control.

-o0O0o-

**_Author's Note:_**

_I did warn you that it was a silly bit of fluff, right? Ah, well..._

_Oh, and I don't advocate killing squirrels or any other living things. I don't eat anything that can look me in the eye and am the sort that catches bugs, even the scary ones, and puts them outside. Just a silly little punchline from the GK.  
_

_Thanks for reading! Please, leave a contribution in the little box. :)_


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